Installing new oil boiler

rjj999

My house is not suitable for air source heating due to its age and building style. Have had an engineer out to check.
I live very rurally and gas will never reach me and I don't like the idea of calor.

So, at present my central heating is powered by woodburning stoves. I am getting old and this is becoming quite challenging to fill up. I would like to install oil driven heating where heating comes on at a touch of a switch but am scared of whether oil will be phased out in the near future. When I have spoken to engineers some tell me that new boilers are designed to be able to have their nozzles changed to vegetable oil in the future. But, you know, they are trying to sell me something.

Is it sensible to install new oil central heating. I would need a boiler where there has never been one in place before and all the tanks and piping etc installed too. It seems like a lot of money if oil is going to be phased out by 2030. (If it matters, I don't expect to leave my house unless forced out by ill-health.)

dunstonh

 I would like to install oil driven heating where heating comes on at a touch of a switch but am scared of whether oil will be phased out in the near future. 

Oil will be around for another 50 or so years.   By which time, synthetic oil and/or recycled oil will be available

When I have spoken to engineers some tell me that new boilers are designed to be able to have their nozzles changed to vegetable oil in the future. But, you know, they are trying to sell me something.

They are not wrong.

Is it sensible to install new oil central heating. I would need a boiler where there has never been one in place before and all the tanks and piping etc installed too. It seems like a lot of money if oil is going to be phased out by 2030. (If it matters, I don't expect to leave my house unless forced out by ill-health.)

Oil boilers tend to last longer than gas and there is no concern about supply being stopped.   

lohr500

It's a bit of a myth that heat pumps won't work in many buildings due to age and style.
At the end of the day a heat pump is just a form of boiler that an be appropriately sized to output as much heat as is required.

There can be challenges with large heat pumps in that they may need a 3 phase electrical supply. This was certainly the case 5 years ago when we looked at replacing our ancient oil boiler with a heat pump. In the end we stuck with oil because my calculations at the time showed that replacing oil for oil oil would be cheaper to install and run than going down the heat pump route. (And that was when the Govt grant was up to I think £12,500).

As/when our new boiler fails, (hopefully not for a long time and it has a 10 year parts and labour warranty anyway) I would replace with oil again.

Two things for you to consider though :

Think about fitting an external boiler if you have space outside your property as this minimises the loss of space internally.

Make sure the installer also understands heat pump technology really well and specifies the radiator sizing and pipework to operate with a heat pump in mind so you future proof the installation.
Heat pumps tend to work with lower flow and return temperatures than traditional oil/gas systems and so need larger surface area radiators to dissipate heat into your rooms. The additional cost to put suitably sized radiators and piping into a new installation should be marginal and you will benefit anyway as it will allow your oil boiler to work well with lower flow and return temperatures which improves efficiency through better condensing.

lohr500

rjj999 said:

To: lohr500
Thanks for your unsolicited comments, I am sure you know everything about everything; myths included.
However, I live in my 200 year old house and both heating engineers I asked to inspect the property and who spent time considering my options thought otherwise. So, once again, my house is NOT suitable for an air source pump.
I say unsolicited comments, as at the beginning of my post I specifically pointed out that my house was unsuitable for air source heating and so was interested advice on oil boilers hoping not to waste anyone's time.
But don't let that constrain you and your hobby horse, press boldly forward you gallant keyboard warrior, changing the world one step at a time on the basis of "your reckons". Who needs "facts" to reach a conclusion? Clearly, not yourself.

I provided what I thought was a balanced view to your question, concluding that in the same situation I would go with oil.
For what its worth we live in a 240 year old farm house and went through a similar scenario when our old oil boiler was on its last legs. 
You asked if it was sensible to install a new oil boiler system and I provided what I thought were some helpful points for consideration in the design of the system.

QrizB

rjj999 said:

However, I live in my 200 year old house and both heating engineers I asked to inspect the property and who spent time considering my options thought otherwise.

You need better heating engineers, ones who understand thermodynmics.

rjj999 said:

So, once again, my house is NOT suitable for an air source pump.

If your house can be heated by an oil boiler, it can be heated by an air source heat pump.

So if your house is somehow not suitable for an air source heat pump, it's also not suitable for an oil boiler.

rjj999 said:

Who needs "facts" to reach a conclusion?

Clearly, not your "engineers".

lohr500 said:

For what its worth we live in a 240 year old farm house ...

My sister lives in an early 19th century farmhouse wih solid stone-and-cob walls. It's heated by a GSHP, but an ASHP would also work.

And the National Trust have had good results when using heat pumps to heat much older buildings.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-68007713

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/our-cause/nature-climate/climate-change-sustainability/heat-pump-energy-at-our-places

greenbee

QrizB said:

rjj999 said:

However, I live in my 200 year old house and both heating engineers I asked to inspect the property and who spent time considering my options thought otherwise.

You need better heating egineers, ones who understand thermodynmics.

rjj999 said:

So, once again, my house is NOT suitable for an air source pump.

If your house can be heated by an oil boiler, it can be heated by an air source heat pump.

So if your house is somehow not suitable for an air source heat pump, it's also not suitable for an oil boiler.

rjj999 said:

Who needs "facts" to reach a conclusion?

Clearly, not your "engineers".

lohr500 said:

For what its worth we live in a 240 year old farm house ...

My sister lives in an early 19th century farmhouse wih solid stone-and-cob walls. It's heated by a GSHP, but an ASHP would also work.

And the National Trust have had good results when using heat pumps to heat much older buildings.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-68007713

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/our-cause/nature-climate/climate-change-sustainability/heat-pump-energy-at-our-places

I was talking to someone who specialises in restoring historic buildings, and they told me that the lower flow temperatures at which ASHPs and GSHPs work are much better for the fabric of the building than the high temperatures that gas and oil run at. 

JonnySegway

Go for an oil boiler! I am in a remote location with no mains gas (or sewage) connection. My house is drafty, but an oil will heat your house up in half an hour! Oil (which is really known as Kerosene) is also used by aircraft so I doubt it will be phased out anytime soon. The tanks can be expensive if needed to be fireproof (i.e. close to your house). 
The boilers are simple to understand, getting an OFTEC installer may be a challenge, depending on where you live.